This archive report was first published on 18 July 2019.
Published on July 18, 2019, a report from the front lines of Afghanistan's 17-year war highlighted the deep-seated frustration among soldiers with their leadership.
Leadership Fails to Support Troops ¶
Second Lieutenant Najeebullah Khan, 32, of the Afghan National Police in Helmand Province, spoke candidly about the situation. 'Our leaders, they are the bane of our existence. If they cared about the police, we would not have such misery in our lives.'
He was echoed by Second Lieutenant Abdul Matin, 35, of the Afghan National Army in Uruzgan Province, who said, 'The problem is that there is no strong backing from our superiors. When you are in danger and need urgent support but there is no backup and your fellow soldiers are dying before you and you are powerless to save them, this hurts.'
These sentiments were shared by Sergeant Sharefi, who expressed his frustration with the lack of support from leaders. 'We are committed to our job but we are not happy with our leaders. They don’t really care for the soldiers when we are in trouble.'
Insider attacks have also taken a toll on the soldiers' trust and morale. Sergeant Sharefi noted, 'The insider attacks are really bad and they degrade our value and trust in the army and how the world sees us.'
